Car Mechanic Simulator is a great idea. I was excited as heck to see a game finally getting into the nuts and sockets of car engineering. I wanted this to be the TopGear of games, I wanted to rip apart an engine and throw some cylinders at a goose and yell angrily about torque specs. After the first 60 seconds, I discovered there was absolutely none of that, and really isn’t much of anything else.

Each level takes less than 60 seconds to complete on average, and gives a master class in repetitive labor. The game is unbelievably basic, for a simulator there is almost nothing “sim” about it. The entire game is a point and click requiring almost zero skill or puzzle solving abilities. Bolts and parts are simply clicked to remove, at most requiring removal of a few other parts that may be in the way. Diagnosing mystery failures takes seconds with the color coded parts viewer, and using the available diagnostics tests narrows issues down immediately. With only 75 levels to complete, the single player campaign is short and provides no reason for replaying.

The largest issue with this title is the lack of structure. There are 3 garages throughout the single player which unlock after a certain level is complete. The game provides no indication when this is, and never shows any cumulative progress of any sort in relation to unlocking new parts or cars or even finishing the game. A tacked on upgrades system allows small improvements like reduced parts prices or faster unbolting, but doesn’t seem appropriate in a simulation game at all. The perks are easily maxed out and make very little difference in the overall experience.

I think I was hoping this would be something like running a real business. I’d love to be able to save money to buy a new garage myself and hire employees and offer different services. This game provides none of that and simply drags you through repair after repair doing the same things over and over. It’s an enormous waste of time. The lack of any accomplishment is really demoralizing, I feel like this is the worst possible way to treat someone who’s wanting to enjoy an experience.

I definitely do not recommend this if you were expecting a fun mechanic simulator of any sort, it’s a point and click with no soul. This completely fails as a game and has no value in an already oversaturated simulation market. A very disappointing clearance rack title.

PROS:

– really like the title screen, instantly sets expectations higher than something like skyscraper simulator
– 8x AA, a few other graphics settings, very nice
– shortest tutorial in history
– enjoy pushing buttons
– stereo audio, lots of panning around with walking, kinda snazzy atmosphere it creates
– tests can help diagnose mystery issues, marks a number of parts as okay or not

CONS:
– it’s a point and click puzzle game

– cant adjust settings in game, have to bounce back to menu
– disgustingly linear, just repair after repair for money
– extremely minor upgrade system (5% faster unbolting!)
– awful electronic music constantly
– mouse issue on fullscreen, wont stay in game window
– test drive is pretty terrible
– floaty controls make precise selection difficult
– camera control is absolutely infuriating and difficult to maneuver
– randomly upgrades to new fancy garage with zero warning, no way of knowing progress

– no in game help, new puzzles can cause long hangups with no explanations or support